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Toxic US ships head for Irish west coast

A PLAN to tow a condemned fleet of rusting and contaminated American warships around the west coast of Ireland, before dismantling them in Britain, has been condemned by environmentalists.

The vessels, numbering more than 100 and dubbed the “ghost fleet”, have been rotting away on the James River in Virginia for up to 50 years. Thirteen of the most dilapidated have been given the go-ahead by America’s Environmental Protection Agency to sail to Teesside for disposal.

The discarded naval ships contain millions of gallons of fuel as well as toxic polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) — which were banned in the 1970s — and asbestos.

Due to their size and instability, British maritime authorities are unlikely to allow the ships pass the south coast of Ireland or enter the English Channel, one of the world’s busiest shipping zones. Instead they are expected to travel along the Irish west coast and around the top of